The Peugeot 208 GTi 30th is capable of 0-62mph in a suitably swift 6.5sec

The company’s latest inheritor of that legacy, the 208 GTi, was a more serious attempt than we’ve seen in a long time to return the Peugeot brand to the kind of reverence in which it began to be held two or three decades ago.

But although it was a simpler and more willing entertainer than many a hot supermini, it had the misfortune of arriving at the same time as the very good Renault Clio RS 200 Turbo and outstanding Ford Fiesta ST.

Peugeot’s response – almost two years later and delivered with some celebratory largesse – would seem to be ‘upstage this’: the limited-edition 208 GTi 30th. Departing from the usual paint-job-and-alloy-wheels recipe of special-edition hot hatchery, its engine, transmission, suspension, brakes and steering have all been uprated or retuned, and its outward appearance and interior have been updated.